The W.I.P. Diaries: Getting Back on the Horse

The year is 2010 and I’ve purchased a new journal. This isn’t unusual — I think I must have bought about 300 journals in my early years. Each started with the words “chapter one” and a few pages of writing, followed by endless empty pages.

But this one is different. I’m twelve years old and I’ve just disembarked a two week long cruise with my best friend and our families. As the school year commences, I start putting pen to paper, and suddenly, there are three journals filled with three stories.

Now, admittedly, they weren’t very long. Nor were they very good. But they were the start of something new.

I have been telling stories my entire life. I was a highly imaginative child and growing up without siblings allowed me a lot of time to conjure up tales on my own accord. I created plots and worked through the kinks. I loved a good game of play pretend.

Around nine years old, I wrote my very first story. From what I can recall, it pondered the question: What would happen if Laura Ingalls came to the future? (Don’t judge — I was in a huge Little House on the Prairie phase). From there, I never stopped writing.

But this one story from middle school has always stuck in the back of my mind. It was the first time I ever shared my writing with anyone. My friends passed around the journal, taking turns reading it and providing feedback. It was also the first time I ever heard that I had a talent for storytelling.

My teacher caught a whiff of this and read a bit of my work. One day, she brought me a newspaper clipping. An 18 year old girl had just published a novel and it was huge news. “One day,” she said, “that will be you.”

Now, I may not have been a child prodigy. But I never forgot about the support I got for my writing. And I guess all of that lead to this moment in time, almost 15 years later.

So what is a W.I.P.? Well, it’s a work in progress — literally. It’s the draft of a novel. My first novel. Insert ominous soundtrack here… And to keep myself accountable, I’m dedicating a series on the blog to updating about my writing journey.

I don’t know where this path will take me. But I’m excited to find out.

Keep an eye on this space to keep tabs on my journey — and feel free to keep me accountable. 🫡

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash